Legal Question in Wills and Trusts in Pennsylvania
i need to find out what was/is in a will,in which my grandpap was the beneficiary who also passed as well,as the only child (my mother) has also passed?i dont have money to afford atty. fees & i was told it was a small amount & wether it would be feasable to even pursue. which is another question.
1 Answer from Attorneys
Wills are a matter of public record. You will have to contact the probate court (called the Orphans Court in PA) in the county where each of the decedents (your grandfather and mother) to determine whether they had wills. If they had wills that were probated, you need to see what they say. If no will was probated for either, then perhaps they had no will and their estates would pass as per the state intestacy laws. If your mother was the only child of your grandfather and your mother died, then you and any of your siblings would inherit your grandfather's property, provided that your grandfather had no living spouse at the time of his death.
If these people have been dead for awhile, funds may have escheated to the state. Try www.unclaimed,org and it will link you to the treasurer for the state where the decedents lived and you can see if there is any money to claim.